68 PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 09 • 2019
country to locate and pattern bachelor groups of males
— be sure to have quality optics.
If you’ve done your homework, you should be ready
to effectively hunt a well-scouted bull, or group of
bulls, by the season opener. Spot-and-stalk is the tactic
of choice, as calling has little worth at this stage of the
game. Over the years, I’ve taken many alpine bulls on
opening day of the Colorado bow season; you can, too,
if you have “the right stuff.”
Another early-season approach involves sitting over
water sources — ponds, seeps and/or wallows. I’ve
never been very interested in this tactic, but I have em-
ployed it when it was a best-bet option, such as in hot,
arid environments. In these cases, I insist upon arriving
in my hunting area at least a week before the season
opener, and I hit the ground running.
First, I determine where the elk are concentrated,
and then I dive into their core areas to find their water
sources. I always carry a lightweight treestand and/or
ground blind on my back; when a high-usage watering
hole is located, I quickly prepare an ambush spot and
then vacate the area until it’s time to hunt. With this type
of setup established in a couple of places, I’m usually
ready to reap some great dividends come opening day.
September
Easily the hands-down favorite time of year for most
elk bowhunters, September can be a real circus — both
elk-wise and people-wise. By the second week of the
month, elk are starting to rut hard, with bulls covering a
lot of ground to establish harems. Many adolescent bulls
become vagrants in September, their frustration levels
peaking by mid-month. Herd bulls have been run ragged
by late September, what with keeping their cows under
submission, breeding and fending off challengers.
It’s during this most fabled month that a bowhunter
might experience the most exciting type of elk harvest
possible — calling a bull into range. There are countless
variables involved in accomplishing such a feat, so I’ll
just give a broad overview of my approach to dealing
with September bulls.
For starters, I go to great lengths to find elk that haven’t
been harassed/educated recently. Doing so in Septem-
ber usually requires me getting into remote and rugged
country. Next, if you’re after a herd master, you’re facing
a tremendous challenge — few herd bulls come to a call.
When after a dominant bull, try to remain silent while
attempting to get within range. Put on a pair of mocca-
sins, patiently follow the herd and hope for a close en-
counter with the boss — you may have to trail the herd a
long time for even a fleeting opportunity at such a bull.
I’ll occasionally offer soft cow calls to a herd bull, but
Elk country lies just outside the
Pearly Gates. Go see it, glass it,
hike it and bowhunt it as soon as
possible — elk country, that is.
You’ll be richer for the experience.
Hunting over ponds,
wallows and seeps
can be an effective
technique in August,
when hot, dry condi-
tions lead elk to
search for any water
sources available.
